Of Christmas and Pregnancy Tests
by RobertDowneyJrLove
Summary: A pregnancy test turns into a Christmas gift, Tony isn't likely to forget any time soon.


All dignity that Pepper Stark thought she may have had at one point in her life was now gone. All by the simple, if embarrassing action of peeing on a stick. That plastic stick that determined whether or not her and her lunatic husband had actually procreated. Yes, procreated. She was almost positive that a couple of unmentionably wild nights spent in their bedroom had led to the very real concept of procreation. Now whether or not the deed had actually been done required five minutes of patience that she was certain she didn't have.

Five whole minutes.

The timer on her stupidly up to date BlackBerry had been set and while the numbers went up, so did her heartbeat and pulse. Her heart sounded as if it was about to pop out of her chest and her racing pulse was making her sweat. She was hoping that Tony was distracted in his workshop while she determined if they had indeed created another Stark. It wouldn't be a bad thing, not in the least, but it was a very nerve racking idea.

Tony...a father?

The very thought of her crazy, lunatic, superhero husband cradling a tiny newborn - their tiny newborn - in his arms made her smile. With that came visions of Tony changing diapers, taking naps with their little one snuggled into his body, chasing a little toddler around the house and just the vision of Tony being a father. Unfortunately, reality set in and reminded her that it hardly ever lived up to expectations. But hey, a girl could dream.

The buzz of her cell phone timer alerted her that it was time, drawing her back into reality, where it was a very real possibility that those missed monthly "visitors" could have been from stress. She took a deep calming breath, and reached for the plastic white stick balanced precariously on the edge of the sink. She flipped it over and nearly cried at the results.

Happy tears, of course.

The test was positive. The two pink lines was a very clear indicator that she was in fact pregnant. Those unmentionably wild nights had led to the creation of the next Stark. She released a shaky breath, willing her nerves to settle as she tried to figure out a creative way to tell her husband that he was going to be a father.

Oh, the joys of peeing on a stick!

xxx

Luckily for her, the results of the test remained long after any bodily fluids on the stick dried so she could wrap it up and make it a Christmas gift. The white stick was now nestled on a bed of gold-glittered-white tissue paper in a metallic gold box, tied with a creamy white ribbon. It was Christmas night, long after guests at their giant Christmas dinner had grumbled out of the door into the miserably cold California air. They had both changed into their pajamas and the box was now cradled protectively in her hands, while she was nestled comfortably in their over-sized bed.

"Tony, hurry up." Pepper grumbled to her husband, who was brushing his teeth in the bathroom.

"Wha' 'ush?" Tony asked around his toothbrush, pulling it out of his mouth and spitting into the sink. He rinsed his mouth and wiped his face on a towel before hurrying back into the bedroom. "What's the deal, Pep? Got a special Christmas gift for me?"

"Get in bed, Casanova." Pepper teased her husband, holding up the glittering gold box. "It's a different kind of special."

Tony eagerly rushed over to the bed and jumped in, moving closer to his wife, who offered him the gift with shaky hands. He chuckled as he took the gift and gently caressed her nervous hands with his own warm hands, before interlacing his fingers with hers. He set the box down in his lap and tugged on the silky ribbon until it fell away from the box. He removed the lid and his eyes widened at what he found nestled in the bed of tissue paper.

"Pepper.." Tony breathed, holding up the box, his thumb holding the test in place. "Pepper, does this mean what I think it means?"

Pepper smiled as she pushed the blankets away from her stomach and brought his hand, still linked with hers, to her stomach. She looked up at him with teary blue eyes and smiled softly, "Merry Christmas, Daddy."

"Daddy?" Tony's smile couldn't have been bigger and the excitement dancing in his eyes spoke of his joy at the thought of becoming a Dad. "I'm going to be a Daddy?"

"You are." Pepper nodded her confirmation.

The smile fell from his face and the excitement seemed to be gone just as fast as it came. He hurried out of the bed, pushing the blankets out of the way as he jumped out of the bed and started pacing at the foot of the bed.

"Tony?" Pepper moved to the foot of the bed, "Tony, you're scaring me. What's wrong?"

"I can't be a father." Tony was transitioning from calm and almost serene to full blown panic attack mode now. "What if I mess it all up? What if I'm not a good father? What if I turn into my Dad?"

"Tony," Pepper giggled as she jumped up from the bed and reaching for her husband. Seizing his wrist, she gently tugged him over to her. "Tony, listen to me. Nobody's a perfect parent. We mess up, we make mistakes. The point is we learn from them and we help our kid learn from them. Why wouldn't you be a good father? Tony, you're amazing with kids, and I have no doubt that you'll be pretty amazing with your own kid. You aren't your father, Tony. Plain and simple. You won't be like your father, I promise. I won't let you become your father."

"Promise?"

"I promise." Pepper nodded her reassurance.

"Well if you think I'm going to be a good father..." Tony's ecstatic grin returned full-force. "Then I guess...I'm going to be a Dad."

"Tony, that's already been established, can you do me a favor and kiss me now?" Pepper giggled giddily, over the moon at the fact that he was so happy about the idea of being father.

"Of course," Tony nodded, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer. He leaned down and crashed his lips against hers.

The happiness of the news combined with the excitement of the day had them clawing at each other, pulling each other closer and groping any body part within reach. Both of them were gasping for air in between bursts of ecstatic and amused laughter when they fell on the bed in a mix of tangled body parts and twisted blankets. With happy sighs from both, Tony pulled the covers over them both and wrapped his pregnant wife in his arms, murmuring to JARVIS to turn the lights off.

"Does this mean I get to build a miniature suit?"

xxx

_One year later..._

His soft voice could be heard over the baby monitor melding with their five month old's non-sensical babble. Pepper laughed softly as she listened to him talk animatedly to their daughter, Angelica Maria Stark. At five months old, she was already a Daddy's girl through and through. Tony's anxiety about being a father had melted away as soon as the blue-eyed bundle had been placed in his arms. Angelica Maria Stark had quickly taken her place in his heart as his little jellybean because he swore she was no bigger than a jelly bean.

"Pepper," He padded down the stairs in a black button-down and a pair of dark jeans, his daughter cradled in his arms. "She's hungry."

"Is she?" Pepper giggled as she turned to retrieve a bottle of milk from the sub-zero fridge and warm it up for their daughter.

Once the bottle was properly heated and a quick check on her wrist confirmed that it was the right temperature, she handed it to Tony and turned back to the Christmas dinner she had been cooking. The turkey and stuffing was in the oven and various side dishes were spread out in front of her. Tony gently brushed the rubber nipple of the bottle along his daughter's lip, watching as his little Jellybean sucked it into her mouth and started drinking the warm milk.

"One day Jellybean, you'll be introduced to this amazing thing called your Mom's cooking," Tony looked up from his daughter to smile tenderly at Pepper. "And that milk will be a thing of the past. She's the best cook and being beautiful doesn't hurt either."

"Tony," Pepper smiled as she listened to him flatter her to their daughter. "Stop!"

"It's true and Jellybean, she's going to deny everything I say about her." Tony chuckled but his tender smile remained. "She's the best cook in the world. When you're older, you'll find that she's the best mother in the world and if you're anything like me - you'll find that she's the best friend you could hope for."

"Well Jellybean," She walked around the counter and pressed a kiss into the top of her daughter's head, gently stroking the soft strawberry-blonde hair. "Don't let your father fool you, he's got some pretty amazing qualities his self."

"Oh?" Tony gasped in shock, "Do tell?"

"Well for one thing, Jellybean, he's the sweetest man in the world." Pepper smiled sweetly at Tony as she stroked the top of Angelica's hair, revelling in the silky smoothness of it. "And the gentlest. He's the best father in the world and hopefully you'll be like me and find him to be the best friend, you could ever ask for. And I think being amazingly handsome definitely helps."

"You flatter," Tony murmured, leaning closer to her.

She kissed him quickly, ruffled Angelica's hair and his own inky black hair before returning to the stove to prepare Christmas dinner. Only this Christmas would be different. There would be no overly-large Christmas dinner with a bunch of guests to entertain. This Christmas dinner would be for three. Today was about them celebrating, not only Christmas, but each other and their beautiful daughter.

"All done?" Tony murmured to his daughter when she spit out the nipple and her face scrunched up in anger. "Yep, all done."

He set the bottle on the counter and rearranged her so that she was on his shoulder, patting her on the back until she expelled any air that she had swallowed while drinking from her bottle. Once that was done and she was cradled in his arms, he let her wrap one of her tiny hands around his finger and brought it up to his lips to kiss.

"Say Merry Christmas, Mommy." Tony held her up so that Pepper could see her face.

"Merry Christmas, Angelica." Pepper smiled sweetly, "Or should I say, Merry Christmas, Tony?"

"That works too." Tony shrugged before softening into tender, affectionate smile. "Merry Christmas, Pepper."

"Merry Christmas, Tony." Pepper smiled softly, moving around the counter. "I can't resist. One more kiss before I get back to work."

Tony chuckled as he kissed her quickly before swatting at her to get back to work before his food burned. The tenderness in his smile and the tender affection dancing in his eyes spoke of the tremendous love he felt for both of his girls.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Jellybean." He murmured, leaning down to kiss his daughter's face repeatedly.

Oh, the joys of Christmas!

* * *

><p><strong>Oh Iron Man fandom, we meet again! It has been too long friend! I've missed you and the fluffy, gloppy, tender, romantic you seem to bring out of me, which I then project onto Tony! Anyone else think the image of Robert Downey Jr. with a baby is just plain adorable? His wife is a very lucky woman and that baby boy they're expecting is going to be the luckiest, most loved kid in Hollywood! Anyway hope you enjoyed this sap drenched fluff-stuff! Leave me some love, Dolls! <strong>

**Love ya, **

**RobertDowneyJrLove **

**P.S. My Dad made good on a promise he made me when the trailer for Sherlock Holmes 2 first came out and took me to see it opening weekend. Let me just say...WOW! That movie rocked and Robert Downey Jr. looked deliciously sexy! **


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